Orioles news: Ryan Helsley signed

Hello, friends.

There are now 116 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2026. We’ve already had one piece of news come out of the Thanksgiving weekend, so who knows, maybe today will bring another item of interest.

If you haven’t already seen it, a solid report emerged yesterday that the Orioles are in agreement on a contract with reliever Ryan Helsley for two years and $28 million, with Helsley having an opt-out available after a single season. Check out Paul Folkemer’s reaction to the news. The contract is not yet official as it is pending a physical, never a complete formality where the Orioles are concerned.

Any excitement about this signing pretty much has to pretend that the 2025 season didn’t happen. As that’s currently what you have to do to generate any excitement about the 2026 Orioles, it’s kind of fitting for Helsley to join that mix. He sucked this season. More particularly, he sucked after being traded from the Cardinals to the Mets in July, posting a 7.00 ERA for the rest of the season and eating the loss in three games. One could say Helsley was the difference between the Mets making the postseason and not.

So, for the Orioles, the question will be: Can he fix that? He wasn’t on his previous elite level even earlier in the season when still with the Cardinals. In the three-year span including the 2022-2024 seasons, Helsley combined for a 1.83 ERA and 0.954 WHIP. That’s really good! In 2025, he had a 3.00 ERA and 1.389 WHIP even before the trade.

That’s not a closer who is going to make you happy to see him stride out of the bullpen and into the game, and that’s not even thinking about that mess with the Mets. The Orioles can’t afford to miss. Higher-end relief signings came along with their own risks. For instance, the O’s could have probably spent more money on Devin Williams, but he wasn’t good this year either.

Up to this point, the offseason heading into 2026 is looking a lot like what Mike Elias was doing a year ago, committing a chunk of money to players who will aspirationally upgrade spots on the roster while not really moving the excitement needle all that much. The re-acquisition of Andrew Kittredge ($9 million salary), the trade for Taylor Ward (projected $12-13 million), and the Helsley signing ($14 million) add up to $36 million in 2026 payroll. They haven’t even touched the starting rotation.

The door isn’t closed on fixing the rotation yet. More has happened than I expected in November, but even so, the only starting pitcher from the top tier of the market to sign so far is Dylan Cease. Elias could spend another $36 million on a top free agent and a more middling one, and these deals could be enough to convince you, on paper, that the rotation could work out. He’s going to have to actually do it, is the thing. Talk doesn’t matter any more. He has to pay up for someone who will perform at a high level for at least like three seasons.

Orioles agree to deal with late-inning reliever Ryan Helsley (The Baltimore Banner)In The Banner, Andy Kostka’s report on the signing notes that Helsley built his most successful seasons on an exceptional slider. We’ll find out if the Orioles can get him back to the best version of himself.

Could Tatsuya Imai be “the guy” for the Orioles? (The Dishwasher)For absolutely no rational reason, I’m into the idea of the Orioles signing the top pitcher coming over from Japan this winter. That’s probably because none of the high-end MLB guys actually excite me all that much so maybe the unknown quantity will turn out more interesting. It would be idiotic for Elias to do it for that reason, though.

Today in 2000, Mike Mussina signed with the Yankees. If you can believe it, some people hold a grudge against Mussina for this decision.

There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2018-22 outfielder DJ Stewart, and 2000 infielder Mark Lewis.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: satirist Jonathan Swift (1667), gun manufacturer Oliver Winchester (1810), author Mark Twain (1835), wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874), Sesame Street co-creator Joan Ganz Cooney (1929), director Ridley Scott (1937), singer-songwriter Billy Idol (1955), and model Chrissy Teigen (1985).

In 1803, the territory of Louisiana was transferred by the Spanish to the French. The French, as US history class reminds us, did not keep it for too long themselves.

In 1939, the Red Army of the Soviet Union invaded Finland, beginning the Winter War.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 30. Have a safe Sunday.